


For Valentine's Day

by TinyTony19



Series: Sunshine in Our Eyes [4]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Anti-Valentines Day, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, M/M, Romantic Fluff, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 13:29:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29527116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinyTony19/pseuds/TinyTony19
Summary: In which you throw a wrench in Spencer’s plans: you don’t like Valentine’s Day.“If it’s with you, I guess it’s not so bad.”
Relationships: Luke Alvez & Penelope Garcia, Spencer Reid & Original Female Character(s), Spencer Reid/Reader, Spencer Reid/You
Series: Sunshine in Our Eyes [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2027032
Comments: 1
Kudos: 24





	For Valentine's Day

**Author's Note:**

> AN: thank you, anon! i dont plan to make a sequel to KC. But if i did:
> 
> Tags/Warnings: Spencer Reid x GN!Reader, fluff, cussing, semi anti-valentines day, Spencer tears up but dont worry were there to fix that, established relationships (blegh), Garvez if you squint, post-For the Holidays
> 
> Song: Lovefool by The Cardigans

_Fuck cooking_ , Spencer thinks one day.

It’s an irrational thought. The kind that strikes through his mind in a flash of irritation like a scrape of the knee as he is perusing the internet. Yes, he is using a computer willingly. He has to because he’s desperate.

Cooking is stupid. Who really needs it, right?

…

He needs it. God, he needs it so bad.

His need to learn cooking wasn’t as incessant until recently. Until you came along.

Spencer is a meticulous person and a romantic if you’d ever met one. Makes sense considering how he grew up, reading the classics and all that. He’s read all the gooey literary shit old people write and while he never understood those meanings it all dawned on him one day. Quotes written like ‘the stars in their eyes’ and 'sunshine glowing off them like a halo’, suddenly makes sense once he meets you. Or at least, after coming to know you, months into your newfound friendship.

It’s because of this he plans accordingly the weeks leading up to Valentine’s day! Because again he’s meticulous and a romantic and a genius so he plans every step and makes a back up plan in case A, B, and C fall through.

Is he going overboard? 

… Nah. No way. Not when it comes to you.

But fuck with a capital F, man.

It’s your third date. Or what is supposed to be your third date if you would just stop being you for a second.

Then again, he loves you a lot and he wouldn’t love you if you weren’t, well, _you_.

Although— _pardon his french_ —what the fuck. 

Spencer knows he needs to learn to cook. You’ve tried plenty of times to teach him and he loves learning and he especially loves it when _you_ are the teacher (wait, does he have a teacher/student fantasy? Maybe. Thats something he’ll look into later. Preferably with you). 

Unfortunately, he’s _terrible_ at it.

He’s made progress and he knows it’s true because you said so but the miniscule progress he’s made is. Not. Enough. And it’s all your fault! Because he gets so distracted by you during your lessons, like when you put your hands over his to show him proper slicing techniques— _holy fuck, he wanted to combust right there—_ or just watching your deft hands at work, lips and brow scrunched in concentration in that adorable way. And you smell like cooking oil or whatever you’re making and you’re _hot_.

He’s so into you it physically hurts. Ugh. How is he so lucky? 

You’re also the first person he’s been this into since Maeve. And everyone knows how well that turned out.

So he tries to dial it down for Valentine’s Day. Morgan told him once he tends to throw himself into everything he does, including love. And when you two got together, he promised the universe he will not fuck this up. He ends up combining Morgan's advice with Luke’s, trying to be casual like Luke says because apparently you’re just as into him as he is of you. 

The thought makes him grin uncontrollably. Luke says it makes him look like a clown but a lovesick clown. A _lovefool_ , Luke hehs.

Spencer doesn’t get the joke, but it does nothing to deter him.

As Luke advised, Spencer does “not” make a dozen back up plans and does “not" plan weeks in advance. Because that wouldn’t be casual, would it?

But now the day’s come and as Valentine’s _Day_ turns to Valentine’s _Night_ , Spencer wants to pull his hair, rub his frustratedly stinging eyes but he can’t because he’s in the middle of work, in the middle of the bullpen, in the middle of his desk and he refuses to be that guy. Not again.

Why does he feel like sobbing? Like a loser? 

Because you don’t like Valentine’s Day. No, you _abhor_ it.

It happens in the middle of the work day. It’s like he tried to open a door only for a bucket of ice water to be dumped on him and now he looks like a drowned rat. He definitely feels like one.

You’re talking with Garcia about her Valentine’s Day plans as you multitask, switching between putting together packets and stacking them aside. Then taking them under the hole-puncher and stapling them together because the BAU isn’t all kicking down doors and catching freaks. 

It makes sense that you’re chatting with Garcia during your break. The two of you have become two peas in a pod after you came out of your shell. Now you’re inseparable. Only you make Garcia leave her batcave as much as she does now.

Out of sight, he catches tidbits of your conversation when he hears distinctively: _Fuck Valentine’s Day_.

Okay, you didn’t say that verbatim but you might as well have, grimacing as you three hole-punch a packet and _his heart_. Then a nail on his coffin only it’s with a stapler. 

_Thump. Chick_.

Spencer winces; there goes ~~your~~ his Valentine’s Day plans. 

It shouldn’t sting as much as it does. You’ve been dating for over a month and Valentine’s Day is definitely not his favorite holiday either. It’s not even _top 3_. And as you rant he can’t help but silently nod in agreement, all the facts straight: _yes, it’s an eyesore. Yes, it’s a capitalistic holiday. Yes, people should do nice things for their significant others no matter the time and not because it’s expected on a specific day. Yes, it doesn’t compare to Halloween—_

The thing is, you two aren’t that “couple-y”, at least in a traditional sense. Not like Will and JJ who got a babysitter so they could go out or like Luke and Garcia as they plan to go to a special Valentine’s Day event she wants to check out (she vehemently denies anything going on between them but he doesn’t need to be a genius to see the affection they have for one another. Just kiss already, damn).

So yeah, Spencer hoped to spend the romantic holiday with you. For once, he’d have Valentine’s Day plans, aside from exchanging cards with the team and his mother.

But apparently you hate Valentine’s Day! So there goes plan A, B, C, _and_ D!

Spencer feels the tears spring at the corner of his eyes. He sniffs as subtly as he can, raising an open case file to his face. Of all the plans he hadn’t thought through this was not one of them. IQ 187, his ass.

He should’ve known. Or at least ask your thoughts on Valentine’s Day. That was inconsiderate on his part. He blinks back tears, withdrawing into himself despite his hurt because he is a lovefool and only for you. He just wants to impress you, make you happy even if that means canceling your first Valentine’s Day together.

Now if you’ll excuse him, he has to call off a few reservations and make some returns. Several actually.

Can you return a dozen donuts in the shape of hearts?

… Yeah, he better ask Emily for the rest of the day off.

* * *

“Hey Newb, have you seen Spencer? I haven’t seen him since his break,” You ask, resting your chin in your hand as you squint at another form. Your eyes are beginning to tire. 

Spencer asked you several times over the course of the last week, checking to see if you were free today. You are, so you planned to hang with him after work, but he hasn’t returned from his break and he wasn’t answering your calls or texts. Not unusual but still odd for your boyfriend (you still can’t believe you get to say that).

Luke sighs, his smooth voice reaching over your shared divider, “You know at some point I’m just not going to respond. You guys can’t call me Newbie forever.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” You snort without looking up.

Another sigh and you smirk: you win.

“For your information,” Luke grumbles, words punctuated with sass, “Doc went home.”

You pause. “Home?” He didn’t tell you.

“Yeah, probably to get ready for your date.”

“Our date?” You frown and stand up, leaning over the divider to see if Luke’s fucking with you.

He isn’t. Luke shrugs, humming wistfully as he rests his cheek in his hand, “You should’ve seen how excited he was, being it your first Valentine’s Day and all. I told him to chill out because you’ll love whatever it is no matter what but I’m sure he ignored that and planned something spectacular for you guys.” Sitting back, he twirls around in his chair.

You grimace, recalling your earlier conversation with Garcia. 

Shit.

“Meanwhile, I have to spend _Galentine’s_ Day with Garcia because all the ladies of the BAU are taken and I have nothing better to do—” Luke comes to a full 720, catching the tail end of your coat as you whip it on and make for the door. “—um, excuse you?”

“If Emily asks, I had an emergency!” You manage to call back, throwing open the glass door.

“Okay?”

“Thanks, Newb!”

As the elevator door dings shut with you inside, leg jumping because you have a sneaking suspicion you fucked up, Luke slouches in his chair and grumbles.

He’s not a newb. Or a newbie.

* * *

You rush over to Spencer’s, catching your breath as you stumble to his front door. There’s shuffling from inside, the faint sound of clanking and crashing and your heart swells because this is the man you’ve fallen for, the first one you’ve ever felt this way for. Here he is, being all considerate and romantic. And here you are, fucking it up when your relationship’s barely even _started_.

 _God, you’re an asshole_ , you berate yourself as you turn the doorknob and push open the door. _You’re an asshole you’re an asshole you’re an asshole_ —

Then your eyes widen and your jaw goes slack. 

Immediately, you slap a hand over your mouth and nose as your favorite scented candles hit you like someone shoved a bouquet in your face. The description isn’t too far off considering there’s a lovely bouquet of your favorite flowers still in its wrapping, haphazardly set next to a dozen donuts on the coffee table like no one’s business. Its petals are strewn across the floor, a few in tiny piles like they were hastily swept to the side. Red and pink and dark green fill your vision.

Who gutted Cupid and tossed his organs around, holy fu-

“(Your name)?”

Startled, you crane your head to find Spencer, beautiful hair askew and his tie hanging loosely around his neck. His sleeves are pushed up to his elbows as he clutches flowers to his chest. In his other hand, he grips the colored strings of several shiny red and pink balloons in the shape of hearts and— _fuck_ —your heart might actually float up from your chest and into your eyes.

This is your _man_. Your _partner_. Your _boyfriend_.

Your boyfriend panics, fumbling for a second before stuffing the balloons and trimmed flowers back into the room behind him and slamming the door shut. He turns back to you, eyes wide.

“What-what are you doing here?” Spencer stammers, wringing his hands together.

You blink at him, dumbly holding up your phone. “You-uh-you left early and didn’t return my calls.”

“I’m sorry. I think I left my phone at work,” Probably because he left in such a rush, Spencer groans, looking anywhere but you. The petals scattered over his floor are quite pretty in this light. “And I was a bit busy.”

“I’m sure you were,” You gawk openly at the strings of fairy lights hung around his living room. It’s a clash of aesthetics. Spencer always rocked dark academia, but despite how ugly the combination of red and pink decorations with his nature green walls and dark polished wood is, it leaves his apartment a little brighter, a little cozier, and you _love_ it.

You love everything about this.

But as you take in the ugly beauty of it all, Spencer fidgets at the doorway, mistaking your awe as shock and disgust. Wiping sweaty palms on his trousers, his eyes dart around, trying to focus on something, but every place he lays his eyes on makes him cringe. He catches all the things he couldn’t clean up or put away in time. No doubt you do too. All the leftover flower petals, the donuts he can’t return, candles that haven’t blown out because he has the lungs of an 8-year old asthmatic. 

Spencer can’t imagine how appalled you are.

And the longer your silence stretches on, the more nervous he gets so he blurts out, “I’m so sorry (Your Name)!”

Your brow shoots up as he begins to ramble.

“You must hate this. I’ll put everything away.”

“You really don’t have to—” You stop him, and your heart nearly crumbles as Spencer’s does when he finally meets your worried gaze. 

His eyes gleam with unshed tears. He swallows, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—”

“Doc—”

“At least not without asking you—”

“Doctor—”

“I understand if you want to break up—” His voice cracks, as if the idea itself will destroy him (it definitely will). 

“Spencer—" His voice, wobbly and dripping with unnecessary guilt, draws you to him.

"But I want you to know that I—”

With an exasperated sigh, you grab his hand as yours finds the nape of his neck, pulling him into a soft kiss. 

For a second, Spencer doesn’t respond because who kisses the person they’re about to break up with? Strange, really. But then he kisses you back. His hands remain frozen, unsure of where he stands, but he tilts his head to deepen the kiss. He figures this is a new social cue he has yet to learn. And if this _is_ the last time you kiss him, he’ll treasure every second of it, take whatever you’ll give him because again he’s a lovefool for you. 

And when you pull back, he’s too dazed he nearly misses the look you give him. Suddenly, he can’t breathe.

You look at him like he hung the stars instead of cheap fairy lights around his apartment. 

Spencer’s confused. “I-I… Wha—”

“I’m not breaking up with you,” You chuckle, and you nearly burst out laughing as genuine puzzlement takes over his face. You tug him behind you, plopping yourselves on his couch. You smile, appreciating the way he organized the cushions and throw-pillows; there’s now space for two people to lay down.

You take a breath. “You wanna know why I don’t like Valentine’s Day?”

Spencer slouches, though his body is angled towards you so you suppose that’s good. He sighs, “Because it’s a capitalistic holiday that reinforces the idea of doing the bare minimum…”

He begins listing your reasons, and your eyes soften. Of course he listened and remembered even if you mentioned it offhandedly.

You nod once he finishes. “Yes but before that—and I can’t believe I’m telling you this—back when I was a little kid, I didn’t get any Valentines.”

Spencer’s brow furrows at the newfound information. You continue, “I’d get some from my friends and stuff but that’s not what Valentine’s Day is about. At least not when you’re a kid. When you’re a dumb kid, it’s about couples and romantic shit, and I didn’t really have any of that growing up.” You purse your lips and glance away, face flushed with embarrassment. It’s really not that big a deal, but putting it into words makes the idea seem more intimate and personal.

It takes a moment for your words to sink in as Spencer can’t believe his ears. How could you not have been showered with love and affection and presents on Valentines Day? It’s like water doesn’t make things wet or fire doesn’t produce heat; it just doesn’t make _sense_. Because you deserve that much and more.

“So every Valentine’s Day, I lowered my expectations and eventually I stopped caring. I’d tell myself those things and I started to believe them,” You bite your lip, eyes crinkling as you give Spencer a sheepish smile. “But now I have you.”

At that, Spencer returns your smile, letting you take his hand. Any tears he had seem to evaporate instantly.

“So, I’m sorry that I hurt you. I stand by what I said before, Valentine’s Day sucks. But if it’s with you,” Blushing deeply, you play with Spencer’s hand, large and veins defined compared to yours, shrugging, “I guess it’s not so bad.”

Spencer’s smile broadens, and he intertwines your fingers together. “So what you’re saying is, you _don’t_ hate this?” He looks around his living room.

You shake your head, unable to stop the grin crossing your lips. “No. In fact, very much the opposite. Honestly, thank you for this, it’s beautiful. I have no words.” You breathe it all in; the candles, the flowers, the— Your nose wrinkles and you snort, “Did you burn something?”

Bashfully looking down, he scratches his chin. “I-uh-tried to make your favorite dishes. Though, I was hoping the candles and flowers would mask it.”

You giggle and pull him into you, snuggling into his side. “That’s okay. I’d much rather have you anyway.”

With Spencer a blushing, stuttering mess in your arms, head resting on your chest, you press a kiss to his hair and conclude; yeah, you don’t like Valentine’s Day. 

But you sure as hell love Spencer more.

**Author's Note:**

> AN: FtH status: finished - 7/5. yes 7.
> 
> I realize this was not what anon requested but oh well i wrote this at 2 am 
> 
> I’m not that anti v day but i stand by the capitalistic aspect.
> 
> yes this takes place after For the Holidays.
> 
> also included luke bc hes my bro and i honestly think he deserves so much more than what the show gave also garvez ftw
> 
> happy post valentine’s day!!


End file.
